An Eroding Syrian Army Points to Strain

An Eroding Syrian Army Points to Strain

April 28,  2015
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Syrian Army has suffered a string of defeats from re-energized insurgents and is struggling to replenish its ranks as even pro-government families increasingly refuse to send sons to poorly defended units on the front lines. These developments raise newly urgent questions about the durability of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.  - read more from NYTimes

Nepal Earthquake

Death toll tops 4,200 in Nepal earthquake

From Washington Post , April 27, 2015

BHAKTAPUR, Nepal — In the chill of a post-rain morning, Punya Ram Kawang, a teacher, was standing before a mound of rubble in his torn neighborhood Monday, trying to figure out how to grieve. 

His house was a pile. His neighbor, who is 70, was wailing and wiping her eyes with the hem of her sari. Around the corner, four temples of his city — revered, loved by all — were gone. In the heart of this UNESCO-honored place, a swirl of bricks engulfed a precious idol. Mighty stone lions now guarded steps to nowhere. 

“I’ve lost count of how many things to weep about,” Kawang said. “What do I do? Do I cry over the ancient temples? Do I cry about my neighbors and friends or my own home which is now in ruins?”  read more on Washington Post

Armenian-American drummer John Dolmayan from the band System of a Down reflects on how the Armenian mass killings have influenced his music. see link below




http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02przj7

Road to Ruin (environmental )

SEE LINK